Information is often written down and communicated by means of pen and paper. Such paper-based information is, however, difficult to manage and communicate efficiently.
Computers are used, to an increasing extent, for managing and communicating information, The information is typically entered by means of a keyboard and stored in the computer's internal or external memory, for example on a hard disk. The entry of the information by means of the keyboard is, however, a relatively slow process and there is a significant risk of errors occurring in that process. Nor is it particularly convenient to read large amounts of text on a computer screen. Graphical information, such as drawings or images, is often entered by means of a separate image reader, such as a scanner or the like, in a procedure which is time-consuming, cumbersome, and which quite often gives unsatisfactory results. However, once the information is in the computer, it is easy to communicate it to others, for example as an e-mail or an SMS (Short Message Service) message via an Internet connection, or as a fax via a fax modem.
The present Applicant has proposed a remedy to this problem in the international application WO 01/16691, which is incorporated herein by reference, in which the Applicant envisages the use of a product having a writing surface which is provided with a position code. The position code, which codes a plurality of positions on the surface, enables electronic recording of information that is being written on the writing surface. The information is written by means of a digital pen having a sensor which detects the position code and calculates positions corresponding to the written information. The product also has one or more activation icons which, when detected by the digital pen, cause the pen to initiate a respective predetermined operation which utilizes the is information recorded by the pen.
More specifically, the position-coded product has a built-in functionality, in that different positions on the product, such as positions within the activation icon and positions within the writing surface, are dedicated for different functions. Furthermore, the position code is capable of coding co-ordinates of a large number of positions, much larger than the number of necessary positions on one single product. Thus, the position code can be seen as forming a virtual surface which is defined by all positions that the position code is capable of coding, different positions on the virtual surface being dedicated for different functions and/or actors.
The above concept can be used for a number of different purposes. The combination of pen and position coded product can be used as an input device to a computer, a PDA, a mobile phone or the like. For example, text and sketches written on a position-coded notepad can be transferred via the pen to a computer. Additionally, the combination of pen and position-coded product allows for global communication, directly from the product via the pen, by the position code on the product being dedicated for such communication. For example, the information registered by the pen can be transformed to a fax message, an e-mail or an SMS message, and then be sent from the pen to a recipient. Further, the combination of pen and position-coded product can be used in e-commerce. For example, the digital pen can be used to order an item from a position-coded advertisement in a magazine, by the position code in the advertisement being dedicated for such a service.
Typically, a system designed to include digital pens, or corresponding devices, will in addition to the pens and a plurality of position coded products include at least one look-up server running a service called a Paper Look-up Service PLS and a plurality of application servers acting as actors or Service Handlers SH in the system. The look-up server uses a database to manage the virtual surface defined by the position code and the information related to this virtual surface, i.e. the functionality of every position on the virtual surface and the actor associated with each such position. The application server is a server effecting a service on behalf of a digital pen, such as storing or relaying digital information, or initiating transmission of information or items to a recipient.
In such a system described above it is very difficult to foresee how a digital pen will communicate with the single, or multiple, look-up server(s) and the multiple application servers. The system provides a great number of possibilities for an actor wishing to design a service or application, e.g. which single or multiple further services or application servers that are to be involved in a specific service, the interaction between the digital pen and different services when using a specific service, what actions to be performed by the digital pen during utilization of a service etc. Also, an operator of a look-up server would benefit from being able to control communicated data and the communication itself between digital pens and different actors, especially during initiation of a service. Furthermore, there could be more than one look-up server in the system, with e.g. different responsibilities, such that a mechanism is needed to control with which look-up server a digital pen is to communicate.
Thus, one problem that needs to be solved is how to co-ordinate and control the communication in a system as described above in a simple and efficient way.